Just this morning I was reminded of a relatively insignificant event, but one that has stuck in my memory, from my senior year in high school.  It was the national speech tournament in Chicago and I was competing for a national championship in a few different events.  I recall standing outside with a portion of the thousands of students and teachers present waiting for results to reveal who would move on to the next round.  When I read my name on a huge posting that hung from the top of the building, indicating that I made it to the next round, I was so excited that I turned to the lady next to me, who happened to be a nun, and said, “Praise the Lord!”  Her response to me, however, put a damper on my excitement, “God doesn’t care if you get into the next round.”  Ouch!

            Now, in her defense, I am guessing that my remark came off a bit flippantly.  And in the big scheme of things, I know that God’s central concern at that moment was not about getting me to the next round.  And, when all is said and done, I came home with no awards. 

            However, it does raise a question—“Does God care about our joys and sorrows, our successes and failures, even if they are in areas that do not have ultimate significance?” 

            I have recently been reading Gary Thomas’ book Pure Pleasure.  And in the chapter I read this morning, “Enjoying the Earth without Loving the World” Thomas poses the same question I raise above.  And he quotes from a number of great passages which touch upon this topic, one of which is James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” 

            Is it?  Is every good and perfect gift from above?  I believe it is.  In fact, God’s Word is filled with references to His innumerable gifts.  It is God’s nature to give (Matt 7:11).  As Christians, I believe we need a greater awareness of the Source of the gifts we enjoy every day.  God offers more than a get out of hell free card.  He invites us to enjoy Him in and through His creation.  Thomas writes:

God isn’t merely our Redeemer…he is also our Creator.  He made us, and he made this world.  So when we participate in this world as he made it, we celebrate him….  In fact, we insult him when we deny the glory of his creativity.  When we speak of God only as Savior, we use him as a rescuer—but he is much more than that!  He invites us to truly enjoy him and all that he has made, no longer using God merely to enjoy the world (as he sets us free from addictions, helps us to reclaim our finances, restores our health), but also using the world to enjoy God.

That is a different concept—using the world to enjoy God.  I sense that for many of us this happens somewhat naturally when it comes to His more spectacular gifts.  When we see the beauty of a sunset sky silhouetting the Olympics, it is actually difficult not to give glory to God. 

            But we do not have to wait for a spectacular sunset.  Truly, we can experience pure pleasure as we use the simple blessings of daily life to enjoy Him.  Again, it is seeing every good and perfect gift as coming from His hand and living in gratitude for these gifts. 

            Of course, the temptation we are susceptible to is allowing the enjoyment of things to cause us to forget the source of all good things.  Deuteronomy 8:11-14 warns the people of Israel, after entering the promised land, about the possibility of becoming proud and forgetting God “when you eat and are satisfied, when you build find houses and settle down.”  Instead, what they need to do is allow the enjoyment of the good things God provides to remind them of His provision.  As we read in Deuteronomy 8:7-9, “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing.”  Truly, it is God who is the source of even our simplest blessings. 

            As we enter into Spring and this time of warmer weather, sunnier skies, and blooming flowers, may we learn, more and more, to enjoy the giver of every good gift.  May we be a people characterized by gratefulness and joy because we serve such a gracious Heavenly Father.  And may we be faithful to share these gifts and this joy with those around us. 

In Christ, Pastor Dan